Hay Mele Bruno, Vitale Ermenegilda, Velikova Violeta, Tsonev Tsonko, Fontanarosa Carolina, Spinelli Michele, Amoresano Angela, Arena Carmen
Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy.
NBFC-National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jun 14;26(12):5712. doi: 10.3390/ijms26125712.
The tomato ( L.) is one of the most consumed crops worldwide and a source of antioxidants. Given the role the latter play against oxidative stress and free radical-related diseases, enhancing tomato bioactive compound production would be appealing for a wide range of applications in the fields of nutrition, pharmacy, and biotechnology. This study explores a sustainable and innovative approach: the modulation of specific light spectra to boost the production of bioactive compounds in tomatoes (cultivar 'Microtom'). We investigated how three light regimes-white fluorescent (FL), full-spectrum (FS), and red-blue (RB)-influence the accumulation of polyphenols and other key nutraceuticals during plant growth. Our findings reveal that full-spectrum (FS) light significantly enhances the levels of polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, ascorbic acid, and lycopene in tomato fruits, compared to those grown under RB or FL light. Interestingly, fruits from RB light-grown plants showed the highest carotenoid concentrations and antioxidant capacity. These results suggest that light quality actively modulates the expression of key enzymes in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthetic pathways, shaping each fruit's unique metabolic fingerprint. Cluster analysis confirmed that RB, FL, and FS conditions lead to distinct polyphenolic profiles, each with notable health-promoting potential. Our results highlight a promising avenue: tailoring light environments to enhance the functional value of crops, bridging agriculture, nutrition, and biomedicine in a sustainable way.
番茄（L.）是全球消费最多的作物之一，也是抗氧化剂的来源。鉴于抗氧化剂在对抗氧化应激和自由基相关疾病中所起的作用，提高番茄生物活性化合物的产量对于营养、制药和生物技术领域的广泛应用将具有吸引力。本研究探索了一种可持续且创新的方法：调节特定光谱以促进番茄（品种‘Micro-Tom’）中生物活性化合物的产生。我们研究了三种光照条件——白色荧光（FL）、全光谱（FS）和红蓝光（RB）——如何影响植物生长过程中多酚和其他关键营养成分的积累。我们的研究结果表明，与在RB或FL光照下生长的番茄果实相比，全光谱（FS）光照显著提高了番茄果实中多酚、黄酮类化合物、单宁、抗坏血酸和番茄红素的含量。有趣的是，在RB光照下生长的植物所结的果实显示出最高的类胡萝卜素浓度和抗氧化能力。这些结果表明，光质积极调节苯丙烷类和黄酮类生物合成途径中关键酶的表达，塑造了每个果实独特的代谢指纹。聚类分析证实，RB、FL和FS条件导致不同的多酚谱，每种都具有显著的促进健康潜力。我们的结果突出了一条有前景的途径：定制光照环境以提高作物的功能价值，以可持续的方式将农业、营养和生物医学联系起来。
